It was a year ago today that lawyers for Fresno State and former women's basketball coach Stacy Johnson-Klein concluded a two-day pre-trial hearing in her gender discrimination lawsuit against the university.
Most thought the trial would last four weeks. Instead, it went eight weeks and caused a sensation seldom if ever matched by a civil action in the central San Joaquin Valley.
On this anniversary, I think of Erica Henry. In a case sure to be a staple of Title IX histories for many years to come, Henry is the wild card, the unknown factor, the destabilizing force. Hers is the one story that can't be explained away by conventional theories of what happened to Johnson-Klein.
To review: In March 2005, Johnson-Klein was fired for allegedly violating school policies, setting in motion events that culminated with her successful lawsuit and a $9 million settlement.
Henry, a 6-foot 2-inch center from Shreveport, La., was a Bulldogs freshman in 2004-05.
The trial revolved around this contrast: Johnson-Klein's assertion of her unyielding commitment to women and equality despite the sexist opposition of Fresno State administrators vs. the university's assertion that Johnson-Klein abused her authority to such a degree that the young women in her charge were in peril.
Title IX is the federal law requiring equitable treatment of male and female athletes. In the lingo of administrators, it's all about ensuring an equitable student-athlete experience. Johnson-Klein said her behavior personified this ideal; Fresno State said Johnson-Klein's behavior corrupted this ideal.
A jury of 11 women and one man sided unanimously with Johnson-Klein.
Henry sided with Fresno State.
One piece of Henry's testimony stands out.
Johnson-Klein had a young child when the 2004-05 season began. According to trial testimony, her contract included a university-paid nanny that could accompany the team on road trips. Johnson-Klein's husband also often traveled with the team, according to testimony.
On one particular road trip, Henry testified, she was on the team bus with her teammates, waiting for Johnson-Klein to board. The coach was late. Finally, Henry said, she was summoned to Johnson-Klein's hotel room.
Her task, Henry said: Help pick up the room and pack the clothes.
According to subsequent testimony, the child had wreaked the havoc and Johnson-Klein, facing a ticking clock, sought the kindness of another to resolve a dilemma that could befall any working mother in city far from home.
A weeping Henry didn't see it that way. She said she felt used by a coach who had total control over playing time and athletic scholarships.
By February 2005, Henry said, her student-athlete experience under Johnson-Klein had deteriorated. Had Fresno State retained Johnson-Klein, Henry said, she would've left Fresno "on the next thing smoking."
Johnson-Klein's lawyers said the trial was about their client's constitutional right to equal protection of the laws.
But the long trial never explained one thing.
What part of Title IX or the Constitution authorized Henry's indentured servitude?
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